Homes sales in Southern California had their best January in three years, and prices also gained ground, a market tracker said Friday.

Last month sales of new and previously owned houses and condominiums across the six-county region increased 7 percent from a year ago to 14,619 properties, according to real estate information service, CoreLogic.

Sales fell 31 percent from December, the company said.

“A large seasonal drop in Southern California home sales between December and January is normal, and this year’s … decline was only slightly higher than the average drop-off in activity between those two months historically,” said Andrew LePage a research analyst with CoreLogic.

Sales increased in all six counties from the year-ago level and declined from December, the company said.

The median home price increased 7 percent from a year ago to $432,250 and slipped 2 percent from December.

In Los Angeles County, sales increased 7 percent from a year earlier to 5,035 and were down 31 percent from December. January’s median price rose 6.5 percent from a year ago to 490,000 and it was down 2 percent from December.

In San Bernardino County sales increased 4 percent from a year ago to 1,835 and were down 26 percent from December. The median price rose 12 percent, the biggest percentage gain in the region, to $265,000 and fell 4 percent from December.